Jonathan and challenge of leadership

Like the Biblical King Nebuchadnezzar, intoxicated by power, equalled himself with God to the point of calling the bluff and disregarding danger warnings by some prophets in Israel and later paid heavily, I first noticed signs of arrogance in our President in the wake of the new petroleum price regime. Believing he was going for real consultation with the clerics and possibly consent to their genuine advice, President Jonathan bluntly told members of the National Council on Inter-Religious Affairs, (NIREC), who had gathered at his instance in Ilorin to deliberate on the planned increase in petroleum pump price, that he was ready to be stoned after the increase and would be glad to return home. I recall the clerics, including traditional rulers, told our President, albeit unanimously, that no matter the propriety of the increase, the timing was absurd. And, true to his words, the president went ahead to approve the new price regime and almost collapsed the nation, thereafter.

To those who had seen him as an amenable leader, who would humbly accept sincere, though bitter truth and stand with the ordinary Nigerians, this was the first sign that the future was pregnant. Now, many years after, the same lack of tact in handling party affairs, has put the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in disarray. With the events of the last three weeks, particularly the emergence of the Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led faction of the PDP, (nPDP), it would be a shock surprise to still find anyone pretending that all is well with the PDP, or, perhaps, that where there were issues, they would simply fade away with the passage of time.

While one could possibly hazard a guess as to why things seemed to have come to a head in the face of the coercive rather than diplomatic leadership style of the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led National Executive Committee (NEC), it has remained a huge surprise to everyone in the know of goings on in the party that those who should know better, the presidency and PDP elders, for instance, are still acting as if all is well.

Probably thinking everyone would swallow the morsel of uninspiring leadership provided by Tukur, without saying a word as often the case, the presidency, now, coming round this delusion, has began a high-octane all-out war. But if this exemplifies the lack of tact or visionary leadership by party leaders, their greatest undoing is the sustained needless and clever-by-half pillorying of real and imagined party members opposed to the 2015 plans, using the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other sundry agencies.

Today, as they say, the cookies have terribly crumbled. As everyone could see, the poor handling of this supposed mere belly ache has helped it to grow without inhibition into a malignant cancer, delicate and potentially hard to handle, without eating the humble pie by first admitting mistakes of poor approach to a subject matter to which every party member has a right of opinion, good or bad. Or, a genuine reconciliatory move as opposed to the Greek handshake and fake smile that have characterized the much publicized peace overtures by the party leadership. Unfortunately, while the presidency has maintained that it had no hand or that it was not providing support to the apparent illegal ostracization of party members by the Tukur-led executive, or sparked off the fire of attrition in the party, evidences contrary to the position have gradually, but steadily been emerging in the last few months.

Interestingly, the current balkanization of the party can very easily be traceable to the unbridled 2015 ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan. Shockingly too, even when presidency’s imprimatur are all too clear in the lingering crisis, it has continued to push on its 2015 agenda even when it obviously hurts unity in the party and economic development of the nation. Not only has the presidency equally cleverly spurned moves aimed at bringing peace in the party where it does not favour its plans, but also enjoyed the company of foxes, who only tell him what it wants to hear.

Like Rivers’ Governor Rotimi Amaechi, whose crime Tukur leadership says included among others, an alleged vice presidential ambition and gutsy questioning of the president’s second term ambition, not a few Nigerians have expressed displeasure at the manner the presidency has handled issues in the last three years. But for excelling in no small measure in sustained media fireworks painting dreamy and illusionary achievements in a government that is yet to fix power supply, curtail corruption in public offices, heavily dependent on importation, failed in arresting deteriorating standard of education, encouraged lawlessness, among others, it has done well also by cupping up some ridiculous fantasies, simply wishing Nigerians were still living in the past where sweet-coated promises still made sense, as opposed to what eyes can see or what can be felt in money-worth road network, effective legal system, improved health sector and general public good.

Curiously, while all these presented call to duty, the presidency, seemingly blinded by ambition, has continued to wage war against those who paved the way for peace resulting in the many smooth transitions that has taken place at the presidency after the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua. Now, beyond the Rivers crisis, NGF and Boko Haram challenges, presidency is adding one form of battle or the other to its heavy list, everyday. Whether this is a tactics of those who currently enjoy good perks by the presidency to remain relevant in the scheme of things is anybody’s guess, but more than anything else, the presidency has shown it enjoys wielding the big and strong stick rather jaw-jawing with party stakeholders.

Hurting as this obviously is, it would seem, the presidency has declared war on some party members even as it has used the court to shutdown the National Secretariat of the nPDP in Abuja and Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. With prominent members of the old PDP, possibly including the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambawal, about nine governors, and 57 Senators, including strategic party members identifying with the nPDP, presidency has let loose its attack dogs on its enemies of their 2015 programmes. Only recently, the president sacked the Minister of Youths and Social Development, Alhaji Adbul-kadir Inuwa because of his closeness to the governor of Sokoto State, who is opposed to his second term ambition. Ironically, it turned out as one of the most damaging public actions of the current administration. According to presidency sources, the minister was allegedly sacked because the former minister could not supervise a rancour-free election by the National Youth Council of Nigeria, a Non-Governmental organisation that is not an integral agency under the direct supervision of the former minister!

But if Inuwa’s sack points to dictatorial vestiges in a supposed democratic regime, sending the EFCC and police after people like Senator Dr Bukola Saraki, former governor of Kwara State, Abubakar Baraje and others, is, perhaps, ambition taken too far. Like most inexplicable moves, not a few people were shocked that Saraki is being invited for questioning by EFCC on the same issues for which he had been cleared!

While other political parties are joining ranks and reaching out to aggrieved members, PDP is busy demonizing and dividing its house. The Nigeria Police Force under the current dispensation is increasingly being converted to a mere ‘armed brigade’ for hunting down opponents and perceived enemies of the president’s second term project. Only last week, a few days after its illegal withdrawals of security details of Senator Saraki and Baraje, the Inspector General of Police contemptuously sent his boys to prevent Governor Amaechi and his visiting former speakers from entering into Government House.